The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-01-19

,,,tnbor OF years 0.o ! i'lhN Nlf o'h III
-. ~ With a Tow dollars in ray pocket,
W. Which / was debating at Ito cross
=, .,lecision as 20 whetcr ! should
-. i, In an attempt 20 sol ic0tho.d in
i'.,,.s,, on some OK tho metropolitan
80 or 90 west. whittier the STAR OF in
,,..r,l =, we'll as material empire seemed
"a poiat the way.
lad brought with me from my Now
r.l-,.,1 home a letter Of Introduction 10
uo',cs Greeley, given me byao.sii1Guished
1~..-ic,n roatess, 70 whom ho had long
-. cached by tho closest spiritual tics.
-, ., r.e.h had 7 heard OF tho savage
- with which one was liable to DO
.....-,,.od. sAouli his presence happen 10
Ill tined. that felt Ike ono who carried
(-,. psSl to enter y lion cage, and tho
..--,;nty that nc pass would carry me up
a., once delivered made it all the more
r,cov,,ortsbls in my pocket.
a., tho afternoon when I had determined
T.. t,,.ra the die I passed and repasscd tho
- rrbuns building several times on the
>.-o,.e side TO set my drst journalistic
sof FOR ! was scarcely more than a
T.hC-. shrinking Now ENGLAND boy
-, fe,t constrained in tho presence Of
,..--,ot men, 10 assume tho attitude OF
ia looking up ut -. Peters.
nrt ! finally gathered myself up, and
,i,htip1 the door OF The Tr.bCno Office,
.-,s,s8 the street with frm and steady
&c aud soon had my card in the hands Of
A., Office boy. who disappeared with it up
sts.r After few awful moments tho lad
r.,nrn.d and bade me follow. / ascended a
o,i,Ie Of flights Of rickety stairs and soon
~esdbeI door ;shich looked rs though it
,,i,bf be AZ entrances 20 the top loft Of a
o-it mill Z entered, and as the door closed
b.biud me seated myself cautiously upon a
dusri5ated chair. for the abiding spirit into
,vb5se presence I had entered turned not
r,,,pl nor made any sign Of recognition.
shall never forget the picture OF that
editorial "den"-if that can be called
niotpre which is thrown together by the
5.mous of disorder and chaos. Papers,
PAMPHLETS. books, unused copy, old hats
and editorial bric-a-brac Of al descriptions
vera scattered about promiscuously Mr..
Greeley's Traditional gray coat vas flung
into the corner. with his slOuched hat rest
ing TRANQUILITY upon it, A generous profu-
sion of cobwcbs and dust forced upon the
VISITORS attention the conspicuous absence
Of broom. SOAP and toilet furniture Verify
here was the fitting abode Of intellectual
RatGebones-the disputed realm Of Rhada-
manthus and the Sun god.
The figure, whose brawny back was turned
toward me, was elevated on an antique
chair. the limbs of which seemed TO be hold
iny rivalry with those Of its occupant. Be-
fore him was q desk nearly as high as his
shoulders. ON the side Of which was pot of
ink. set in a pile Of quilts. The paper on
which he wrote was held at o vertical
snrlc With his great hand grasped firmly
around the Quill. as though it were tho lever
that moved the world, he would thrust 1t
into the ink pot, and then with a motion
projected from a level with the eye he
would swing ID across and back on the paper,
as though it were a jackplane, till the
sheet wa. full Whoever saw Horace Gree
ley swing his Quill in that weird sanctum
witnessed a species Of "technique' the like
OF which was never seen before in this world
and will probably never be seen again.
When be had finished the editorial upon
which be was at work he scrambled the
sheets together. scrubbed ont tho headline,
and calling boy sent the copy up to the
compos.tors. Fortunately Tor mo it hap
peuel To- be his last Office work for that
dav and now my time had come After
reading over the ladys note, which recon-
monled me to his kindest consideration, as
a youth u more promise than experience in
the literary world, ho turned to me, and
setting his specs upon his spacious temples,
said. "Weu, young man. "
Heavens. thought /, now the rest IS com
ing But that which came did not point
westward, bat pointed rather, as subsequent
experience has since taught, TO the best
sense within me.
II am in mood, he continued, in
Difference to my dear friend Mrs. W., TO give
you my very best advice as TO the adyisa-
biity Of entering upon journalism as a
profession If you have brains conscience
and independent creative, literary ability,
my advice % you is to keep away from the
and work your level best IN pa
tieuce TN YOU can make a point as a maya
zine writer. You have then laid the corner
stone OF your record, and if you sustain it
tho way IS certain for YOU TO be rated for
all YOU are worth In literature. A news
paper is primarily commercial enterprise,
whose proprietors are engaged IN the trade
Jf buying and selling news and Of furnish
ng the various members OF society with
tho means Of making known to each other
their wants and trade facilities. Outside
)f tlisi is incidentally a literary reforma-
tory and educational enterprise; but these
latter phases are bound TO be largely sub /
aTyIent TO tho commercial purposes upon /
which the enterprise financially floats. 1t /.
IS for this reason that young mon are not /.
usually taken into newspaper Office, ex- /
,erJ they are willing TO begin as news (
5a,lTer and thus make thorough under /
Standing of the commercial side of journal /
Ism tAo groundwork of their efficiency. 1t .
sill not probably be in my time, young .
nan. but the day is coming when the edi-
oriai and literary side of a newspaper viii /
% divorced from the commercial. That .
lay is not yet arrived, and tho man who
.dvertises candles, pills and old junk in
.reat journal feels that the editor is morally
30 him for his views on potatoes,
economies and education. You arc young,
nd viii probably Live to see the day when
literary bureaus outside Of the
newspaper Office will furnish tho editorial